In the blink of an eye, three years have quietly passed.
In the Dong village, at the ironworks and quarry, smoke swirled, and there was a cacophony of voices.
The wild people who once fed on raw meat and blood had long been tamed into the Dong village's slaves. They had shed their modesty-covering leaves and donned coarse animal hides.
They gradually spoke the simple Dong language, crude and awkward, yet sufficient to understand instructions and exchange trivial matters.
The Dong leader, well-versed in the art of controlling people, had dangled several "carrots" to keep these laborers willingly working.
"Work well, and at the end of the month, you will receive fatty meat."
"Accumulate enough work points, and you can exchange them for sturdier leather clothing."
"The best performer can earn a woman."
"Put in hard work, and one day you can shed your slave status and become an official clan member..."
